High Speed Rail Canada continues to review possible stops along the proposed VIA Rail Canada $4 Billion abandoned rail corridor plan VIA Rail Canada is so desperate to get their trains off CN owned rail lines that they have spun this idea of using an abandoned CPR, former Ontario Quebec railway line. In previous posts we have examined communities along the line that once had service or are getting service in the proposed VIA Rail Canada plan before parliament. We examined the communities of Pontypool, Sulfide, Ungava, Kaldar, Sharbot Lake and Tweed. They are all along the abandoned route which is now part of the Canada trail system. We all know about the VIA Rail High Frequency Rail Plan ( A phrase they made up)  The plan is better known now as the VIA Rail Sharbot Express Train due to the fact VIA Rail has stated they are stopping in Sharbot Lake and will be travelling at speeds from 50 years ago, to pick up and drop off the happy campers. (bringing tents on the train wil...

The federal budget came out today and in it was proposed funding to replace VIA Rail’s cars and locomotives for use in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, though amounts were not released due to “an upcoming procurement. Good news for VIA Rail. Thankfully there was no decision on their High Frequency, Sharbot Lake Express Rail idea. It is hard to imagine a government approving this regressive non solution plan to VIA Rails continuing ridership debacle. Consider that VIA Rail has lost more than half of its ridership since 1981 from 8 million to 3.97 million riders in 2016.